Spoiler Warning: Yellowstone & 1883
Now that Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone prequel 1883 has come to a conclusion, audiences are left wondering what's next for the Dutton family. Sheridan has quickly become the poster boy for Paramount+, currently having six shows in development with the platform -- The Tulsa King, Landman, Lioness, Bass Reeves, 6666, and 1932. Due to the success of 1883, many fans have been clamoring for a follow-up to explore characters such as Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) and Josef (Marc Rissmann), showing what happened to them after staking their claims in Oregon. Despite the fan push, for now, it would seem that 1932 will be the sequel to 1883.
1932 will follow that Dutton family with John Dutton I serving as its patriarch. The show will place the Duttons in a fascinating period in American history, with the great depression and prohibition looming over. The show has yet to start filming, nor has it been given a release date. Nevertheless, there are many directions Sheridan's newest Yellowstone prequel can go in, giving audiences the answer to how the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch became so very powerful.
The Duttons in a New Era
1932 will see the Duttons deal with the aftermath of the great depression, which started in 1929 due to a massive stock market crash. Whereas the 1920s saw prosperity, the '30s witnessed the opposite. The dust bowl was prominent during this time, as unsustainable farming techniques coupled with inexperienced homesteaders fostered soil erosion, causing massive dust storms and untenable land. While economically, the Duttons may face hardships, when coupled with the dust bowl, audiences may see the Duttons fighting for the life of the ranch.
The early thirties continued to witness the rise of bootlegging due to prohibition, an amendment to the constitution banning the sale of and manufacturing of alcohol. The most notorious bootlegger of the time was Al Capone, and while the Duttons may not do business with him, a connection to bootlegging may help to explain how John Dutton I was able to keep the ranch alive during this trying time. The war against outlaws reached its peak at this time, with bank robbers such as John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson wreaking havoc across the states.
Differing from 1883, this rise in gangsters was coupled with a growth in the strength of law enforcement, with the FBI essentially declaring war on them. The Duttons may do business with these outlaws to stay afloat, but there is a chance they might help the government subdue and capture them in return for government assistance. It would be somewhat poetic if money from the government and bootlegging kept the Dutton ranch prospering.
The Dutton Family Legacy
Not much is known yet about which Duttons will be in 1932. John Dutton I (Audie Rick) was a child in 1883, joining his family on the arduous journey along the Oregon Trail. However, due to his age and innocence at the time, he didn't suffer to the extent of the others or bear witness to many of the horrors of the trail. Through a flashback in season four of Yellowstone, James Dutton (Tim McGraw), the lead in 1883, is killed after squaring off with horse thieves, seemingly bleeding out from a bullet wound. John Dutton I is still a kid at this point, so this loss may harden him and force him to take up the role of the patriarch at a much younger age.
John Dutton I also had a brother seen in the season four flashbacks. If he's still alive, he's likely to play a role alongside his brother as one of the ranch leaders. John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman), the father of Kevin Costner's John Dutton III in Yellowstone, will be in 1932. Born in 1910, Dutton II would be twenty-two years old, and it's safe to say he'll play an important role in protecting the ranch. Perhaps he will serve as a mirror image of Kayce Dutton's (Luke Grimes) militant role in Yellowstone.
A question that may be lingering in fans' minds is, when did the brand start? In Yellowstone, John Dutton has Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) brand former convicts as a mark of their absolute loyalty to the ranch. These convicts are privy to certain knowledge and are forced to participate in any illegal activities Dutton requests, including murder. Not all those who wear the brand are convicts, as anyone who knows too much is made to join the club, a club in which the only exit is death. James Dutton wasn't as particularly ruthless and cold as John Dutton III. Based on the flashbacks to his time tending the ranch, the brand was likely not established until the time of John Dutton I or II. 1932 may finally show how the brand began and under what circumstances.
The Rift With Broken Rock
At the end of 1883, James Dutton goes off searching for a place to bring his dying daughter Elsa (Isabel May). The location he finds is where the Duttons will settle. James and Elsa encounter a tribe member named Spotted Eagle (Caesar Ramirez), who tends to Elsa and confirms to James there is nothing to be done about her infection. Spotted Eagle points James to a piece of land, which will serve as a good home for his family, on the condition that James continues to let their people hunt in the valley. The land turns out to be what will be the Yellowstone ranch, and it is likely Spotted Eagle is of Broken Rock. Spotted Eagle tells James they'll one day come to take the land back from them, matching the ambitions of Broken Rock tribal Chairman Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) in Yellowstone.
Based on the foreshadowing and location of Spotted Eagle's tribe, it's safe to assume James was speaking to the descendants of Broken Rock. James made peace with Spotted Eagle, but in Yellowstone, the reservation is firm enemies with the Dutton family and are not allowed to hunt on their lands. 1932 may give insight into how the rift widened between Broken Rock and the Duttons, showing how these friends became enemies.
The Yellowstone universe is expanding year by year as the workhorse that is Taylor Sheridan seems to take no breaks in churning out content for Paramount+. 1932 will bridge the gap between Yellowstone and 1883, showing how the brand began, how Broken Rock became enemies, how the Duttons became an economic powerhouse, and how the depression affected the Duttons and the surrounding areas in Montana. During these times in American history, success and expansion were often paved in blood, and audiences might see the most startling anti-hero of the Yellowstone series with John Dutton I in 1932.